Full-time, part-time and other ways of working Cambridge IGCSE Business Studies revision
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In plain words
Not everyone works five full days a week for one employer. A business can take people on for fewer hours, for a busy season only, or let two people split one job.
The choice changes the cost of labour and how flexibly the business can respond to demand.
5 things to know
- Full-time employees work the whole of the normal working week, usually around 35 hours or more.
- Part-time employees work fewer hours than that. A business can use them at busy times and pay for fewer hours, but they may be harder to communicate with and train.
- Job share is when two people share the work and pay of one full-time job.
- Casual, seasonal and temporary workers are employed only when they are needed, such as extra shop staff before a festival or pickers at harvest time.
- For employees, part-time and job-share work leaves time for family or study, but brings in less pay.
Tips and tricks
- Part-time workers are not cheaper per hour. They are cheaper in total, because the business pays only for the hours it needs.
- Use the context: a hotel with a busy summer needs seasonal staff, and a shop with busy lunchtimes needs part-time staff.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
Full-time, part-time and other ways of working: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
A person who works 15 hours a week in a shop is
They work fewer hours than the full working week.
Which workers would a fruit farm most likely take on only at harvest time?
The work exists for only part of the year.
Which is a benefit to a business of part-time staff?
Hours can be fitted to when customers arrive.
In a job share
The hours and pay are split between two employees.
Which is a disadvantage to an employee of working part-time?
Fewer hours mean less income.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
3 questions, 8 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
Full-time, part-time and other ways of working
Cambridge IGCSE Business Studies 0450 · 8 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
Explain what is meant by job share.[2]
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Two employees share the duties, hours and pay of one full-time job between them.
Explain two benefits to a supermarket of employing part-time workers.[3]
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It can have extra staff at the busiest times, such as evenings and weekends. It pays only for the hours needed, so its labour costs are lower than with all full-time staff.
Explain one disadvantage to a business of relying on temporary workers.[3]
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They are with the business for a short time, so they are less well trained and may know less about its products, which can lower the quality of service.
Answers: Full-time, part-time and other ways of working
- 1. Two employees share the duties, hours and pay of one full-time job between them.
- 2. It can have extra staff at the busiest times, such as evenings and weekends. It pays only for the hours needed, so its labour costs are lower than with all full-time staff.
- 3. They are with the business for a short time, so they are less well trained and may know less about its products, which can lower the quality of service.